


Some Place A Little More Normal

by beautifulmidnight



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Drunk Sex, F/M, Marriage Proposal, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-06
Updated: 2012-04-06
Packaged: 2017-11-03 03:27:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/376601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautifulmidnight/pseuds/beautifulmidnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leon and Claire meet 'some place a little more normal.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Some Place A Little More Normal

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place about two, two and a half years after the incident at Harvardville. The Christmas party scene is a reference to a fic my friend Alex wrote called 'Whiskey Christmas' and the necklace is a reference to another story Alex wrote (forget the title). Alex helped me a lot with this piece. Thanks Alex <3
> 
> Russian translation by [Bella Pierce](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Bella_Pierce/pseuds/Bella_Pierce): [click here](https://ficbook.net/readfic/4907942)  
> No other permissions for translations have been given!!

Claire Redfield slumped back in her seat at the crowded diner, watching her phone on the table. The screen was still blank, showing no missed or received calls or any text messages. The only thing that was displayed was her wallpaper of her and Chris posing in front of a bright yellow Hummer. She was making the peace sign and grinning from ear-to-ear in the photo, and even though Chris was smiling too, the older of the Redfield siblings had a look of sadness in his eyes. The photo was taken several years ago, but the lachrymose haze was ever present in her older brother's eyes, and it pained her.

"Do you want to order or do you want to wait for your friend a little bit longer?"

Claire was drawn out of her thoughts and she looked up at the young and pretty waitress. The way her hair was pulled back and the way she carried herself reminded Claire of her best friend, Jill Valentine.

"Give me five more minutes. May I have another glass of ice water please?" Claire smiled.

"You want lemon in that?"

"Yeah, sure."

Claire looked out the window and watched the cars go down the highway. With every car that passed, her hopes were lowering. He had promised her he'd be here. It appeared he was going to cancel. Again. She might as well order some breakfast and then leave. Even though she had nowhere to be, there was no point in sticking around a restaurant all day, waiting for someone who was never going to show.

She turned around in the booth to flag down her waitress, but after failing to grab her attention several times, she gave up and sat back down. When she looked up, he was there, sitting across from her with the faintest of smiles on his face. He didn't smile much, but when he chose to, the person he'd bestow it upon would feel like the luckiest person alive.

"This seat wasn't taken was it? Or are you waiting for someone?"

"LEON!" she grinned, unable to contain her excitement.

She leapt from her seat and embraced her friend, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Her cheeks turned red after she realized how long she had been hugging him. He hugged her back, but she pulled away quickly and went back to her seat.

"Hello Claire," he nodded. "Good to see you."

"I thought you were going to cancel again," she looked down at her water glass to avoid his gaze.

"I couldn't do that to you _again_ ," he replied. "It had been too long as it was, before…"

"Yeah," she completed his thought, knowing exactly what he was going to say.

It had been a year-and-a-half, almost two years, since the friends had reunited at Harvardville. They'd been in constant contact, either by e-mail or phone, ever since. Every time he had to go out on an outbreak incident, he'd call Claire and tell her good-bye, in case the worst happened. But he always returned. They had been trying to plan a time to meet up for a year, and after many cancellations on Leon's part, they were finally together. But Claire knew he was talking about the five to seven years before Harvardville, in which they didn't see much of each other at all.

"Finally, some place a little more normal," he sighed, shrugging off his trademark leather jacket, exposing his shoulder holsters. He ran a hand through his dark brown hair and flipped it out of his gray eyes.

"Can I take your order now hon? I—" the waitress dropped her pad and pen on the floor when she saw Leon. She immediately started blushing and adjusted the top two buttons on her blouse, exposing more cleavage. She snatched up her pen and paper and cleared her throat.

"What can I get you, handsome?" she giggled.

Claire felt a pang of jealousy. Leon Kennedy was extremely good-looking and attracted women wherever he went, whether he was in a biohazard situation or not. She bit her lip, waiting to see how Leon would react to the waitress' flirtations.

"Coffee, black…ice water…and…what's your biggest breakfast?" he wasn't even looking at the waitress.

"Uhm. We have this thing called the Farmer's Special. It's steak cooked the way you like it, three eggs cooked the way you want them, sausage, bacon, hash browns with cheese and Canadian bacon, and four pieces of French toast."

"I'll have that, my steak rare. Make that thing bloody and mooing. And I want my eggs scrambled with cheese. And add a fruit plate with a side of yogurt," he turned to the waitress and winked. "I'm watching my weight."

"Wow," the server breathed. "And you?" she scribbled on the pad furiously, glancing up at Claire.

"Er, fruit plate for me with a side of yogurt, and some egg whites and toast with marmalade," Claire said robotically, still processing what Leon ordered.

"Toast and marmalade? That sounds good. I'll have some of that too," Leon added.

"Damn Leon," Claire uttered after the waitress scurried off. "You skip a few meals or something?"

"No. Just hungry. But anyway. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I've been busy with TerraSave. I see Chris every now again, 'cause I live at his place with Jill. None of us are home all at the same time, though. How have you been? How's…Angela?"

"You know I've been okay. We talk all the time. And I don't know why you always ask about Angela. I haven't seen or heard from her since Harvardville."

Claire drew lines in the condensation on her water glass. "I just…figured you guys would have gotten together or something since we last talked."

Leon shook his head. "Claire, look at me."

Claire reluctantly met his gray eyes.

"You know how little time I have to myself. This is the first time in…God, years, I've been able to do something outside of work. And I've wanted to see you so badly for…for a long time. Why would I waste what precious time I have on Angela Miller when I really want to see you?"

"Is that why you were acting like such a dick a few years back when I invited you over for Christmas? Chris had to pick you up from a bar, Leon. You sure acted like you wanted to see me then," she snapped. She couldn't help it, her tone had taken a hard edge to it without her meaning it to and she was feeling a little bitter all of the sudden.

Leon's face still tingled occasionally in the spots where Chris had hit him. He rubbed his chin at the memory. "I'll admit to it, Claire, I definitely made some mistakes back then and I didn't mean to hurt anyone…I just cared about you and wanted to keep you safe."

"By staying away from me? By staying away from all the people that cared about you?"

"It's because—"

He stopped mid-sentence when the waitress came by and refilled Claire's water glass and dropped off his beverages. When she had gone, he blew a sigh.

"It's because I cared about everyone I stayed away. Claire, if anything happened to you or any of my other friends, because of me, I would never forgive myself," he took a sip of his coffee. "You've got to understand, there are people out there that will do anything to make me suffer. They know my weaknesses."

"You don't have any weaknesses," she scoffed.

Leon was brave, strong, resourceful, and a very capable fighter. He was the best marksman, and his knowledge about Umbrella was vast. His report, one that Chris mentioned frequently, was well-known by the BSAA and Claire was proud her friend had done such amazing work in their fight against bioterrorism. If he had a weakness, Claire couldn't begin to fathom what it could be.

"Yes, I do," he said softly, gazing at the pretty redhead sitting across from him. He looked directly into her gray-blue eyes, hoping to find some clue as to how she felt about him.

"Yeah, what?" she started playing with the sugar packets at the table, stacking them in little piles.

"Haven't you guessed?"

He took the sugar packets and knocked them all over table. He took her tiny hand within his big one and squeezed it gently.

"It's you, Claire."

Claire felt herself getting hot. She swallowed, her words stuck in her throat. "W—What?"

"I've been wanting to tell you in person. Over the phone it's so impersonal—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Claire shook her head. "What—what are you trying to say to me?"

"You're someone I can't—and won't—let go of, Claire Redfield. I don't care if you don't feel the same way, but I had to say it."

Claire took her water glass and pressed it against her face. Her world was swimming. Leon Kennedy, a man that she had been developing feelings for…for years, had just now confessed he loved her?

"What about Ada?" she asked, instantly thinking of the beautiful Asian woman that captivated her friend throughout the years.

He shrugged. "Ada is my past. Granted, she will always be there, but she is not someone I can build a future with."

"Future? Me? With you?" she gasped.

"Claire, are you okay? I'm sorry if this is too much information to process—"

"No, no, I'm okay, I'm okay," she nodded. "I just—I just—love you too."

And Leon did something Claire had never seen before. He grinned.

Their food came, and as they ate, Claire couldn't stop beaming. Towards the end of her meal, while Leon was still eating, an unpleasant thought hit Claire.

"Oh God Leon, what is Chris going to say?"

"I think he'll take this news all right. Of course, he's been a little pissed off at me forever it seems," he said with a shrug.

"What are you talking about?" Claire was puzzled.

"He thinks I keyed his truck."

Claire laughed. She picked up her cell phone and typed a quick text. She put the phone back down and no sooner than she did, it vibrated. A pixilated envelope flew across the screen and Claire rolled her eyes. She opened the message and then showed it to Leon.

_YOU'RE DEAD ROOKIE. YOU THINK YOU CAN KEY MY TRUCK AND TAKE MY SISTER YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING._

"Told you," Leon stifled a laugh.

"That's so strange," she said. "Why would Chris think that? And when would you have done such a thing?"

Leon shrugged after shoving another forkful of French toast in his mouth. He chewed noisily and with his mouth open, and Claire laughed inwardly. For such a pretty man, he sure was a messy eater. "Christmas party. He came out the next morning and saw his truck had been keyed. And because of what happened earlier between us at the bar. And because I was pretty smashed…"

"He assumed it was you," she shook her head. "Leon, about that night..."

Claire pulled out an antique silver necklace that had worked its way underneath her shirt. It was a cameo with a tiny pink rose under glass, with even tinier diamonds and pink ice stones decorating the rest of the piece. Leon raised an eyebrow at the piece of jewelry held between his now girlfriend's fingers.

"You kept it," he stated in mild surprise.

"Why wouldn't I? No man has given me roses before, let alone a rose that never dies," she said softly. "But about that night. Do you remember what you said?"

He cocked his head to the side, and his hair gracefully slid in front of his face. He brushed it aside before answering. "I remember saying you were pretty. And that even though we shouldn't be doing what we actually did, it was your fault for being so warm."

Claire's eyes darkened with sadness. "Do you even remember what we did?"

Leon looked away, not wanting to talk about such an intimate moment out loud, especially in a public place. "I do."

"Then tell me. Tell me what we did, or rather what I _let_ you do, wasn't a drunken mistake. And that you remember. Please."

Leon sighed. He couldn't stand to see Claire on the verge of tears, and no matter how uncomfortable he felt talking about the past, it was nothing compared to how he felt seeing Claire cry.

"I do remember what happened that night. I wasn't that drunk. We kissed after I gave you your necklace and then we…we made love on the Queen sized bed and fell asleep in each other's arms."

Leon refused to say "we just had sex" because it was so much more than that. But he hadn't wanted Claire to know that then. Back then, it was just easier to let her think that he was drunk and wanted to get laid by a pretty girl.

"You really don't remember do you?" she cried.

Completely baffled, he could only stare at his breakfast plate. What could he have said? And why couldn't he remember?

"Let me remind you, Mr. Kennedy," she wept.

_  
Several years previous..._

_Leon rolled off of Claire, his body covered in sheens of sweat. He was breathing heavily, which was a first for him because he was in such phenomenal shape. Despite how hot he was, he pulled the redhead to him and cradled her close, pulling a sheet around them because she mentioned she was cold._

_Leon looked at the clock. The green digits said 4 AM and he shook his head. Four hours. He and Claire had been in bed for four hours. They had talked for a good long while, and when they ran out of words, they kissed. It felt wonderful to unburden himself to someone, someone who understood what the hell he was going through: all the pain, the losses, and in particular, the loneliness. And she was so pretty, so sweet. His heart was lighter than it had been in years after he talked to her._

_He adored her._

_"Marry me," he said._

_"Hm? Leon, what did you say?" she had been tracing lazy circles on his chest and humming softly when he asked her._

_"I love you, Claire Redfield. Marry me."_

_She stopped what she was doing and sat up to face him. "What?"_

_"You heard me. I want you to marry me Claire."_

_She shook her head so hard her hair hit her cheeks. "Leon, you aren't completely sober yet. You don't know what you're asking."_

_"Sooooo what…doesn't mean I don't know what I want."_

_She bit her lip. "Tell you what, I'll make you a deal. If you can remember what you just asked me a few hours from now when you're completely and totally sober, I'll give you an answer."_

_"Psh. Let's just save ourselves some time…say yes now. We both know you're going to say yes," he pulled her back down to him so she landed on his chest. "Lemme make it official."_

_He stumbled out of bed and crawled to his suitcase, flipping it open so quickly it banged against the wall. He rummaged in his bag until he found what he was looking for. A small wooden box with a bejeweled flower on the lid was in his hand. The flower had an opal for the stigma, and the petals were emeralds. Leon nodded to himself and then climbed back into bed, handing the box to Claire._

_"Leon, I don't—"_

_"Open it," he commanded._

_"How do I? There's not an opening," she flipped the small box over and over in her hands, looking for a seam._

_"S'puzzle box. There's a catch. Gimme," he took it from her and pressed lightly on the stigma, then twisted it open. Claire heard a soft click and then nearly fell over when she saw what lay inside._

_A silver band with an opal, surrounded by a dozen or so tiny diamonds, lay on a pillow of velvet inside the little box._

_"It was my grandmother's. She used to live in Raccoon with my grandfather. But they both died before…before…"_

_Claire took the box from him and he flopped back on the bed._

_"Put it on."_

_"Leon, I really don't think—"_

_"Put it on."_

_She sighed and took the ring out of the box. She put it on her ring finger on her left hand. It fit her perfectly, almost like it was meant for her._

_"So you just walk around with an engagement ring everywhere you go?" she teased._

_"Yep. 'Cause I never know when and where I'll need it."_

_"Did you ask Ada to marry you?" she inquired seriously._

_"What?"_

_"Nothing."_

_"Come on Claire…lest go to bread."_

_"Leon, I love you, I really do, but I feel like this is all happening too fast. I mean…what are we going to do? Where will we live? But don't get me wrong, I do love you and—"_

_Leon was snoring and Claire rolled her eyes. She stared at the ring one more time and then lay next him. Before he woke up she'd take off the ring and give it back to him. She'd put it in his suitcase, and, if only he remembered that he gave it to her in the first place with no prompting on her part, would she accept it._

_For now, she held Leon close to her, and listened to his heartbeat as she drifted off to sleep.  
_

The two sat in silence after Claire had refreshed his memory.

"So that's why you were so quiet that day. You seemed so sad. Why didn't you say anything?"

She shrugged. "I felt that if you really meant it, you would ask again. That you would remember."

"Claire…"

"You know something? I considered myself your girlfriend, even though we didn't discuss it or anything. But then Harvardville happened and I saw the way you were with Angela and I knew then that you didn't mean what you asked," she reached for a napkin and blew her nose.

He reached into his leather jacket for something and put it down on the table. Through her veil of tears Claire saw that it was the puzzle box he had tried giving her all those years ago.

"You deserve much better than me. Especially since now I know how much pain I have really caused you. But I'm serious. I was serious then. It's yours if you want it."

"Leon…I…"

"But maybe if I did it properly, it will persuade you," he opened the box and knelt down on one knee in front of her, the box in the palm of his hand. With his other hand, he reached out for her and cleared his throat.

"Claire Redfield, would you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Claire gaped at Leon. All activity in the restaurant had ceased, and everyone was staring at her. This was not how Claire envisioned a proposal, but then again, she didn't really have any kind of proposal scenario in her mind.

"Yes," she squeaked, taking the box.

A waiter that hadn't been paying attention to what was going on tripped over Leon's foot, and a tray loaded with short stacks of pancakes landed all over the government agent.

"Shit," he cursed. "I fucking hate shitty pancakes!"

Claire laughed so hard her stomach hurt. Leon sat there, dripping with butter and syrup and Claire leaned over and kissed him once she stopped laughing.

"I don't know. I think pancakes are pretty awesome. They're quite delicious Kennedy-style."

"I fucking hate shitty pancakes," he repeated.

Claire giggled, feeling complete for the first time in a very, very long time.


End file.
